


Thus We Wait Until the Ashes Settle

by CaelistisRydraline



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Demon Gabriel, Haunting, Horror, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Priest Jack, ex-military jack, the military and ptsd really don't come up a whole lot, this isn't slow burn by any means but i think it might count as medium
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 04:15:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15502113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaelistisRydraline/pseuds/CaelistisRydraline
Summary: Jack let out a slow breath, trying to centre himself, to purge the distractions from his mind as he brought his hands down to pray. His brow furrowed as he tried to will the words to himself, the only things in his mind the hollow rote of a prayer and the sound of Gabriel’s voice saying his name with all the fervency of someone wholeheartedly thanking the very God he couldn’t bring himself to speak to.Through the church, Jack has moved to a new city, giving himself a new start and a new home. It's a refreshing and welcome change, but this new life will test his faith to the breaking point as his experiences grow darker.Priest Jack and Demon Gabriel





	Thus We Wait Until the Ashes Settle

In the rain, the church looked eerie and magnificent; if it weren’t for the warmth of the light glowing at the windows, one might almost call it imposing. It was so different from back home. This was a castle in comparison to the plain and boxy building he was used to. Rounded, sweeping steps led up to three sets of massive wood doors, and simple stained glass glowed in the windows above them. A tower stretched up on either side of the building, and the low bells within them began to chime the hour as Jack climbed the stairs to the front door. It felt like a welcoming.

Jack shook his umbrella off as he stepped inside, relishing the very welcome warmth of the indoors. There was a pleasant quiet in here, making it feel less lonely and more briefly empty, like it was simply a resting period. He stood at the front of the cathedral, looking up at the glass and the artwork, and nodded to himself, a small smile on his face. This was right. It was where he was supposed to be. And even if it was just the beauty of the building getting to him, this place felt like it was giving the very idea of faith a tangible form. And that, if nothing else, was something to be comforted by.

This was a new start. 

The soft creak of an old door sounded to his left, and he looked over to see an older man approaching, a smile on his face.

“Father Morrison, I presume?” He shook Jack’s hand at the nod, beaming at him. “Excellent, right on time. I’m Liam Anders, we spoke on the phone. How is the move treating you?”

“I’d say I’m enjoying it so far. It’s refreshing, even with the downpour.” 

Liam laughed ruefully, glancing at the dark windows with a nod. “Well I hope you’re not sick of it yet, we’ve got another few months of nothing but.” He moved back towards the door he’d entered from, motioning for Jack to follow. “Here, we can put your things away and I can show you around. Unless you’d rather do that yourself?”

Jack shook his head, shrugging off his coat and glancing around the small office they had entered. “If you’re willing I’d love a tour. The building back home was probably smaller than what we’ve gone through already, I don’t think I’d know where to start.” His comment earned him a chuckle as he stashed his outerwear in the closet.

“You’re in for a treat, then. This place is old and beautiful, and in my opinion, quite full of memories. It gives it character.”

 

The feelings of home and new beginnings had only grown by the end of the tour, and Jack was still smiling brightly as he bid his farewells. He’d been given a few days to himself to get accustomed to the new city, and internally he was warring with himself over whether or not he was happy about it. His excitement left him wanting to get started, to throw himself headfirst into everything he could, but rationally….well, he had yet to do anything but the basics of his move, and aside from a trip to the grocer’s, he hadn’t been anywhere besides the neighbourhood he walked through to get from his new home to the church.

The rain had stopped, and the smell of it hung in the air as Jack stepped outside. He turned a somewhat grateful look up to the dark sky, breathing deeply before he started on his way back home. He stepped onto the sidewalk as the streetlight beside him flickered to life with a dull hum, belatedly joining the rest, and all at once a rush of apprehension undercut his excitement. Jack shook his head with a frown, trying to cast off the unpleasant memories that were creeping in with the evening’s shadows, and walked a little faster.

The sun had set more than an hour ago, and the short, nearly-winter days made it feel closer to midnight than dinner. A cold wind scattered dead leaves across the pavement, and Jack buttoned up his coat as it chilled him. Nighttime here was louder than it had been at home, even when it was quiet. A dog barked incessantly a few blocks away, sirens wailing on and off through the sound of nearby traffic. The clicking of a bike grew louder as a teen raced along the street, a light attached to his handlebars, before disappearing down an alleyway.

A few houses along the block still had their Halloween decorations up, and the ragged looking cobwebs that hung from front porches were filled with leaves. Some had lost their grip on the houses altogether and were being tossed about by the wind like some sort of cottony tumbleweed until they joined their sodden brethren in the gutters. One house had a full size skeleton on the front lawn, now rearranged into an explicit position. Undoubtedly the work of the handful of teenagers that had been responsible for smashing jack-o-lanterns in the neighbourhood before Halloween.

Jack made his way down the street, fishing his keys out of his pocket as he approached his tiny house. In the dark it seemed like it was being swallowed up by the two-story homes on either side. A side effect of being built on half a lot, much like the lack of a proper yard. Jack knew he wouldn’t really have much occasion to use it, but he already missed having one all the same. It was a good house, though. It bordered on being a little too large for one person, and there was a faint but persistent smokey sort of scent that clung to it, but it felt warm even without his things properly put away, and there was no underlying discomfort of feeling like it wasn’t really his yet.

He locked the door behind him, not bothering to turn on the lights as he made his way through the house. The light in the kitchen hummed when he turned it on, the yellowed light illuminating his yet unpacked boxes almost judgingly.

Once he had some soup on the stove, Jack put an effort into putting away what he could while he waited. He managed to get through one box, starting on a second before he noticed his soup boiling, and set unpacking aside for the moment.

It was nearly midnight when he finally gave in for the night. A small pile of flattened boxes sat in the middle of the den, and the place was starting to look a little more like someone lived there instead of a storage space.

Jack crashed the moment he got into bed, barely managing a full thought on planning out his day off before he was unconscious.

+++

It was 4:55 on the dot when Jack woke, five minutes before his alarm, as ever. Even in the new space, he managed to get his regular morning routine worked out without a problem, dressed and out for his morning run in a matter of minutes. This was the second morning in the row he’d woken without finding himself in a fog of half-remembered unsettling dreams and he hadn’t realized just how tired he’d been back home. 

The overcast sky left the outdoors in a place outside of any real time, no proper daylight – or lack thereof- to hint at the early hour. The wind hadn’t let up from the night before, though, and Jack sped up as a gust set him shivering.

His run stretched on longer than usual; it took some time to work out a doable circuit in the unfamiliar neighbourhood, and Jack was forced to retrace his progress occasionally as he hit the occasional cul-de-sac and construction site. Between the cold and the extended run, his body was beginning to complain by the time he returned home. Before anything else, he put the coffee maker on, thankful he’d bothered to unpack it the night before, and jumped in the shower, working out a plan for his day. Unpack, unpack, maybe take some time at look at the city, and unpack.

He sipped his coffee as he looked over the remaining boxes. There wasn’t too much, but the process of it all already felt monotonous. He cut the tape on the nearest one, promising himself a break when he finished. He’d spotted a small cafe on his run, and cozy quiet coffee shops were a weakness of his. It never hurt to support local places, anyway.

The job was done by mid afternoon, with only a few minor moments of nostalgia and homesickness as he organized his things. The now- flattened boxes were stashed in the closet before Jack headed out, eagerly anticipating an actually well-made cup of coffee. His machine could use a break.

 

The bells on the door tinkled as Jack stepped into the little shop, the smell of high quality coffee washing over him. He smiled, already feeling like the effects of a good hot drink were getting to him, and took a moment to look around.

It was a small place, made to look even smaller -and cozier- by the well-stocked bookshelves filling it, with classical music quietly playing over the speakers. An elderly couple sat in one little alcove, each settled into a plush armchair and well into a book. A young woman was behind the counter, thick textbooks stacked on a chair next to her as she poured over a notebook, her pen moving over the paper rapidly. She took a sip from what Jack was willing to bet was a cold cup of coffee, never looking away from her work. It didn’t seem like she’d even heard him come in. Jack smiled, looking over the chalkboard menu on the wall behind her. It was the standard fare with a handful of house specials alongside the collection of desserts available.

He stepped forward with a somewhat apologetic ‘excuse me’, and the employee looked up immediately, setting down her pen as she straightened up.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, how can I help you?” There was a hint of an accent that sounded almost German, Jack thought. He ordered a simple coffee and a piece of banana bread, poking his head around as he looked for a seat. An old armchair settled into a corner caught his eye, and he tugged his jacket off before settling in, idly looking through the bookshelf. He smiled as he spied a few familiar titles and reached over for one, flipping through it as he waited.

The barista brought his order out to him before too long, setting it on his little table with a warm smile, hesitating as she went to leave.

“You’re Father Morrison, aren’t you?” Jack blinked, nodding in faint surprise, and she gave a small laugh. “Father Anders was saying he was expecting you, and I was inside the other night while he showed you around. I thought I’d say hello.”

“Just Jack is fine, please. Things always feel a little too formal otherwise.” He looked down at what he’d dubbed his ‘usually-painting-but-now-also-sometimes-moving clothes’ with a laugh. “I don’t think I can really pass for formal right now, anyway.”

She smiled at him. “Well I’m Angela. I’ll stick around and say hello next time I see you there, if I think of it.”

“You should! I always have the time, though judging by the pile of books you have behind the counter, I’m not sure you do.”

Angela smiled ruefully. “Lots to study. I won’t keep ahead if I slack off.”

“School?”

“Medical, specifically. A lot of work, but it’s worth it.”

Jack smiled at the shine fighting past the tired look in her eyes. “I’m glad to have someone so dedicated going at it.”

She beamed at him as she headed back to the counter, and Jack settled back into his armchair, feeling quite at home. 

+++

Storms began to creep their way in as winter loomed around the corner, and most of November’s final days were filled with dark clouds and biting winds. Jack had lost his umbrella to the gusting winds within a week of their arrival, and when his new one had nearly flipped inside out to match its predecessor he simply gave in and purchased a long raincoat. And now, as December finally began and Christmas lights began to twinkle into existence around the quickly dwindling sunlight hours, winter seemed to sweep in fully. 

His regular mornings in Angela’s coffee shop grew cozier as the weather took a turn for the worse, though, and Jack didn’t really have much to complain about aside from the wet feet he earned himself when he ventured out without rubber boots. The lack of snow might have lacked the festive touch for the season, but he couldn’t really bring himself to miss the biting cold of it. It was all so different from back home, but he felt like he had fitted himself into place effortlessly. It was barely a month and a half in, but it all felt comfortable and usual. His routines, the people he saw. Even the friendships seemed to be growing more easily here. A cheering contrast to the grim outdoors.

Attendance did start to dwindle as the storms made their appearances, though even when Jack looked out at the more frequently empty pews he couldn’t quite bring himself to be disheartened. He doubted he would much care for leaving the house unless absolutely necessary if he wasn’t living off of the optimism and good cheer his move had brought on. And there was a good number of people who gave the impression they would show regardless of what the state of the outdoors was. Liam had managed to introduce most of them in bits and pieces across the weeks, and Jack was falling into easy familiarity with them. Angela arrived early most weeks, save for when her work kept her from attending, and she managed to nearly finish what Liam had started for introductions. 

It was nearly nine thirty now, but the dark clouds outside left it feeling more like late evening. The rain was pouring outside, a storm settling firmly overhead, and Jack felt more than a hint of relief at having arrived before the torrential downpour had started in earnest. 

The wind was picking up steadily, and Jack spoke loudly over its howls to the sea of faces seated in the pews. He could see a mix of relief and apprehension through them all. The cathedral was warm and bright, somewhere familiar and safe from the storm raging outside, but the gusting wind was shrieking ever louder at the windows, shaking the glass in its panes, and every so often there was a crash as tree branches were whipped against the stained glass. Jack tried to keep the distraction from his voice as he spoke, gesturing more than he usually would in a small effort to keep people’s gazes from straying to the dark glass every time the wind whipped up.

There was another unsettling thud at the window, the trees keeping a percussion to the wind’s howling song. Jack glanced up at the window, watching as the shadow of the branch eased back for a moment when the wind quieted. As the whistling lessened Jack found he had been nearly shouting over it in the cavernous room and paused as he finished his sentence, clearing his throat. He opened his mouth to continue just as another screaming gust of wind shook the doors, the raindrops sounding more like hail as they pounded against the windows. The lights went dark, and for a moment the only illumination was the red glare of the exit signs. The bright white of the emergency lights abruptly shifted the appearance from menacing to fearful; parents huddled around frightened children, their hushed whispers and muffled crying mixing into a dull noise under the angry sound of the storm.

Jack cleared his throat again, raising his arms slightly to pull the attention back as he spoke. “The storm seems like it’s downed a power line. If we all can head downstairs we can wait until the storm passes in relative peace, and we can use the backup generator for some proper lights, maybe find some snacks and activities for everyone.” He smiled at the crowd, receiving a few in return. Half the people were already on their feet.

Jack felt his stomach twist as he looked up at the windows again, tension knotting in his shoulders. The shadow of the tree bashed against the stained glass again, and the hushed chatter of the crowd grew increasingly anxious. There was a moment of eerie silence as the wind seemed to draw back for a moment, and Jack heard his heart beat once before the screaming of the wind returned and the window exploded inwards with a deafening crash. 

Glass rained down, spreading itself wider than the twist of metal and wood that was the window frame and tree branch. Jack raised a hand, feeling bits and pieces flying into him as he hurried towards those closest to the mess. He heard the voices of his colleagues winding through the wind and children crying, herding the crowd away from the mess and towards the basement. Jack got to work, giving quick orders to those who had lingered to help. No one had been caught under the debris proper, but there were a number who had been close enough to catch more than a little of the flying glass, and it was easy enough to escort them to the office. A man appeared at his elbow with a first aid kit as he went to deal with the youngest, not someone he recognized even from this morning, though from the way he carried himself Jack was willing to bet he was from a similar path to him. He swiped what he needed from the box, clapping the man on the arm as he turned back to the youth in front of him. From the corner of his eye he could see the man patching up another, his voice quiet as he talked her through it. 

To Jack’s relief, there was no one in any real trouble. The worst of the injuries was a cut that would need a few stitches, and that young woman was the only one they needed to send off with the paramedics when help arrived out of the storm. The man who had provided the first aid box seemed to have disappeared by the time things had been sorted out. He’d asked after him a few times, a little worried initially, as the last time he’d seen him the man had headed back towards the cathedral. But apparently he’d left around the time that Jack was talking with the emergency responders, heading home through the storm.

He’d asked Liam about him before leaving for the day, and the older man had known who he was talking about right away. Gabriel. Couldn’t say about a surname, or much of anything about him really, but that he was usually around on Sundays and never seemed to stop to talk. 

As the weeks drew on, Jack found he did indeed notice him frequently, to the point that he almost couldn’t believe he’d failed to notice him before now. He seemed to be passingly familiar to the more regular attendees, and easy enough with a smile and chitchat to those who approached him. It was a sort of heartwarming feeling to see the genuinely friendly interactions, and to have it in a place so close to his heart, Jack was glad.

Frustratingly enough, however, he still hadn’t managed to introduce himself or thank him for the help. The man seemed to have a knack for melting out of the chatting crowds as Jack moved to them, and he’d never seen him on his own, for all that he didn’t seem to arrive or leave with anyone. For that matter, he’d never actually seen the man doing either, he only seemed to exist so long as there were enough people to keep Jack occupied enough to prevent him speaking directly to him.

+++

Any time Jack considered himself to be “at home” for Christmas, he was busy. He was never entirely sure how he managed to get to the point where he was only at home to fall into bed, but all the same, it seemed to happen every time. 

Jack sipped his coffee, idly flipping through the newspaper as the minutes counted down before he needed to leave. Rain poured down the windows outside, the sound making him feel very cozy in his little kitchen. He didn’t really want to leave... in fact, the idea of curling up on the couch with a good book seemed ideal at the moment.

It wasn’t that he disliked volunteering at all, it was more just a problem of wanting to help out with more than he really had time for, and consequently forcing himself to make time for them all. A small blessing that the holiday season wasn’t year round.

Draining his mug, Jack rose, heading to the front door. Today it was setup and possibly hosting for a little holiday event and dinner in the community hall. It was the one that had eaten up his only remaining free time, but the idea of saying ‘no’ when Angela had asked if he would be free to help (“I normally wouldn’t bother anyone outside of the official committee, but we’ve had three separate people bail out on the thing, so I’ve had to widen my search a little”) hadn’t even occurred to him. Even now it wasn’t really a matter of regretting agreeing to the thing; the cold and rain outside made him want to stay indoors no matter what was happening.

There was a handful more people than Jack had expected when he arrived, though as introductions were made he quickly learned that more than that handful would need to leave within the next hour or so. It was a comfortable enough group, and Jack recognized a few of the volunteers as regular churchgoers, Gabriel amongst them, although he seemed invested in a somewhat hushed conversation. Angela grabbed him the moment she spotted him, her greeting warm, if rather harried. Jack spared another glance over at Gabriel as he was pulled away and for a moment their eyes met, and his heart started up an anxious patter against his ribs at the intense gaze. He blinked, and Gabriel quirked up the corner of his mouth, giving a small wave. Jack raised his hand in return before following Angela into the kitchen. 

Jack’s job for the day, it turned out, was to be in charge of whatever happened to need to be done when he had a free moment. For the most part it seemed to keep him bouncing between cooking and decorating, though he found himself running about a little more as the volunteers began to depart. There was more than enough to do, and Jack had started hearing people calling his name when there wasn’t anyone around - he was half certain that would be the only thing he dreamed about tonight, people shouting after him as he ran from thing to thing. It wasn’t just him, Angela had poked her head around the corner once or twice thinking he’d been calling her. But even if it tripped over his nerves just a little, it was an echoey sort of a building and between the rational and the sheer amount of work to do, Jack could push it from his mind. Presently he found himself scouring the place for the Christmas table settings he had been assured existed. Most of the directions he had received had been something along the lines of ‘probably in the kitchen, but maybe possibly worst-case-scenario downstairs in the storage room no one wants to go deal with’. Thus far he had managed to unearth a dusty box of Easter themed wall decorations hidden in the back of a cupboard even he had to stand on a chair to get into, and a great deal of sparkles- half of which seemed to have been embedded into the wood. Those had been red and white, so Jack was counting it as a sort of half discovery. A clue that some Christmasy things had once been in here.

Jack closed the cupboards, turning to Angela as he swiped his dusty hands over his pants and somehow leaving a trail of glitter. “Well, I'll have to go dig them out of storage, then. It was downstairs, opposite the boiler, right?”

She nodded absently, dumping the chopped carrots into a bowl, and Jack headed to the door. He had barely gotten halfway down the hall before he heard her call, and he looked back to see her leaning into the hall.

“If you wait a minute I can get you a flashlight. The one in here doesn't have batteries, and the lights down there are temperamental on the best of days.”

Jack shook his head, waving a hand. “I'll be fine, I won't be down there long. You keep at what you're doing.” She looked at him somewhat doubtfully, but withdrew to the kitchen when he simply grinned at her.

The stairwell of the community hall was best described as dreary, and a faint damp smell clung to the cement walls. Mirrors at the small landing between the floors wouldn't have felt out of place. The very unused rec room which made up the majority of the basement was only minutely better; despite the musty smell to it, the furniture and games didn't look quite abandoned, and the walls were painted drywall instead of chipped white paint on cement bricks. To the left of the stairwell was a doorway empty of an actual door, instead opening rather ominously to the pitch blackness of the boiler room. Jack felt a twinge of discomfort from a small part of his brain as he stood in the empty room, staring at the darkness, and he turned to the right, walking to the closed door. He was far too old to be frightening himself with dark rooms in empty basements. Jack pulled the heavy door open, clicking the light on as he stepped inside, the door closing behind him.

Illuminated by a thready yellow light, Jack looked over the somewhat ridiculous amount of boxes in the room. Rickety shelves were stacked full of them - only half labelled, if that - and they continued along down the very long room. With a sigh, Jack stepped to the first stack of boxes, the ones sitting in the way of anyone who wanted to go further into the storage room. 

The search was slow, though Jack did manage to keep himself from trying to reorganize as he went, despite the urge to do so that he could feel in the back of his mind.

The light flickered, and Jack glanced up at the bulb with a silent plea for it to hold out while he looked for the tablecloths. He shuffled a few boxes of paper plates out of the way, holding his breath when it died for a moment before the room was once more bathed in an orange glow. More plates, some plastic cutlery - he tucked the box of forks under one arm and leaning over a stack of unmarked packing boxes to look at the next shelf. There: at the top of the packed shelf Jack could see a box with blocky letters spelling out ‘DINING - XMAS’. He carefully pushed the boxes next to him against the wall, set the forks down and reached up…and was plunged into inky darkness as the bulb finally gave out. 

Jack groaned, closing his eyes in slight exasperation. He half hoped that he might be able to make out some vague shapes with the illumination from the rec room, but there was nothing. When he turned around he could see part of the sliver of light under the door, but even that was obscured by the shelves and boxes he’d stepped around to reach the back of the storage room. 

He reached out to the wall, shuffling forward blindly. There wasn’t that much between him and the door, theoretically he shouldn’t have that much difficulty if he was careful...

“Jack…”

He jumped at the voice, half turning around as he stopped his shuffle forward. He could have sworn it had come from behind him, someone whispering his name as if to avoid disturbing the silence. The room was quiet as Jack waited, listening for a confirmation that he had actually heard something. When his pause yielded nothing but silence and a growing discomfort in the black, he shook his head, returning to his cautious movements. 

Just a few wary steps before the door, Jack could hear a quiet sound behind him, a sort of shuffling. He frowned, turning to look and immediately shaking his head as he peered into the darkness, seeing nothing. He rolled his eyes at himself, taking another careful step towards the door. He was fairly certain he’d left a box nearby the door, and knowing his luck it would be just the perfect size to trip over.

“Jack.”

At what he was certain was the sound of his name again, Jack turned, and without warning a box came toppling out of the darkness, the corner landing hard on his shoulder. He raised his arms belatedly, waiting for another attack out of the darkness, his heart racing, before hurrying to the door, all concern about tripping forgotten. 

The light from the rec room felt blinding, yet incredibly welcome, and Jack took a moment to breathe deeply before turning his gaze back to the storage room. He held the door open as he looked inside. A box sat on its side just inside the room, the plastic tablecloths within half spilled onto the floor. The plastic holly berries of a broken table topper rolled back into the dark, out of sight. He rubbed his shoulder where the box had landed on him, frowning, but leaned down, scooping the entire thing into his arms and departing quickly.

Angela raised her eyebrows at him questioningly when he finally returned and he gave a resigned sigh. “Light went out and I got a little stuck.” She nodded, clearly trying to keep a smile from her face.

“I did say you should bring a flashlight. I’m fairly sure that room has faulty wiring, or something.”

“Lesson learned. I will always heed Angela’s advice.” She laughed at that, looking quite pleased.

“I hope you mean that. I’ll make sure to remind you next time.”

“Next time? You already think I’m going to start disagreeing with you again?”

She laughed, waving him back towards the work as she returned to her food, and Jack grinned, taking the box to the main room to join the rest of the table settings. 

The faint sense of unease that had followed him out of the basement didn’t last long in the warmth of the main floor, though whether it was the light, the company, or both, he couldn’t quite say. 

By the time the first guests were arriving the work was just about done, with only a few last minute details being hurriedly fixed as the chatting crowds grew. Truthfully, Jack was impressed with how fast they’d managed to get everything finished; Angela had been rather understating how many people had been unable to show up, and there had been a lot to do. Even of those that had shown up, there was a handful of people who had already needed to leave - and Jack was pointedly ignoring what were more than slight twinges of disappointment that Gabriel seemed to have been among them. He’d just...expected to end up in conversation with him before the end of the night. Then again, he hadn’t quite managed to determine if it had been Gabriel calling his name earlier, and he was half certain it hadn’t been anyone at all. For all he knew it was someone else, and he’d unknowingly dealt with the matter already. 

In between chatting with the guests he wondered if Gabriel always gave off such a sense of mystery and intrigue. He’d like to think it wasn’t just his own doing, considering the people he’d mentioned the man to seemed passingly curious about him. Of course, he was probably building up too much of an expectation at this point, especially given how excited he was to speak to him - Jack hadn’t even realized how bad it had gotten until his disappointment took him by surprise today - but no matter his rationalizations that Gabriel was just the same as any other person, that spark of curiosity kept itself hot.

+++

December always seemed to bounce between exceedingly busy and incredibly quiet, and it seemed to be the same here. The flocks of people started to slow and stagger, and then the faces that had disappeared for the holidays would be replaced by family members of those who had stayed as the days drew on. The later in the month it was, the less Jack had filled his free time, as those he knew were busy with their families. For the most part, it was easy to keep himself busy at the church, though he was rather surprised with how quiet it could get despite the crowds drawn for the holidays. 

Today was one of those quiet days.

For the fifth time in what he was sure was as many minutes, Jack turned from his cleaning to look at the clock. The hands, as they had since he arrived, were still, reading eight-thirty five as the second hand ticked in place. He sighed, glancing at the dark windows and returning to his task. It couldn’t be later than six, but the lack of sunlight was making him feel like he should have gone home some time ago. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be here. On the contrary, he went out of his way rather routinely to find enough to do to keep him in the church. He simply enjoyed being in the building. Today, though… The sensation of something being off, or of some impending event had been itching in the back of his mind, and no matter what he tried to distract himself with, it hadn’t yet faded. And now, despite his desire to go home and avoid whatever it was that was making him feel so uncomfortable, he was unwilling to leave before finishing what he had put himself up to.

He pushed himself to continue until he found himself occasionally glancing over his shoulder nearly as often as he checked the clock; Jack knew if he kept this up while he was this jumpy he’d be lucky if he didn’t work himself up to having nightmares. It would be easy enough to leave the rest to finish another day, even if he couldn’t get back to it tomorrow. Quickly and carefully, he set everything back where it was supposed to be, tucking his cleaning supplies away in a nearby cupboard. Jack flicked the lights off, pointedly ignoring the rising feeling of discomfort as he left the room, stepping into the dimly lit cathedral.

A man stood at the far end of the hall, hands folded behind his back as he looked up at the dark windows. He turned as the door closed behind Jack, and a small thrill ran through him when he realized it was Gabriel, the man giving him an easy smile. Jack strode over, feeling somewhat special to be catching the man on his own. He offered his hand when he reached his side.

“I’m a little surprised to see you here so late.” 

Gabriel laughed as he shook his hand. “Does that mean you’re keeping an eye on me? Or am I being talked about for being unsociable again?” 

Jack raised his hands in apology with a smile, “I’ll admit, I asked about you when I saw how often you came in, since I never manage to say hello.”

“Yeah, I’m not usually here for the company.”

“I could leave you alone, if you prefer.”

“Nah, I don’t mind. I did say ‘usually’.” He grinned at him, and Jack felt a small tension ease from his shoulders without having realized it was there. “You seem like you’re doing pretty well here, though. You like it?”

The question was almost a little surprising, it had been weeks since anyone at all had asked - understandably so, considering he had moved in nearly two months ago now - but it led into easy conversation about the neighbourhood and Jack’s new home until Gabriel bid him farewell for the evening.

Jack stood quietly in the empty room for a moment before he turned, heading back to finish the work he’d thought to leave until the next day, all ominous feelings forgotten. Somehow he’d managed to miss asking just about every question he’d half planned out asking, not to mention the now very belated thanks for his help during the storm. “You don’t seem to really talk to anyone when you come in, did you ever want to?” or even just “I don’t think I’ve seen you come in with anyone before, do you have family here?” Jack laughed softly to himself. He doubted he would have managed to learn his name if he hadn’t known it already. 

When he packed his things up to leave, Jack made a somewhat amused promise to himself that he would learn something about Gabriel the next time he managed to catch him in a chatty mood, whenever that would be.

+++

**Author's Note:**

> Well it has literally been years since I wrote any fic (six whole years, apparently....) so I thought I'd ease myself back into it. And then ended up with this, which is sitting at around 20k words and is yet unfinished. At least I managed to hold back from the slowburn au for a rarepair that I've been itching to get to. But wow I have never written so much for a fic before.  
> Don't expect a huge amount of accuracy wrt pretty much anything relating to the church, it is not something I'm terribly knowledgeable about and honestly I am only willing to put so much research into a setting for a fic that relies on literal demons existing. That being said, if anything is outrageously distracting I'm probably amiable to fixing it.


End file.
